James Stott Eyewitness Account

• Place: Pendleton,Salford
• Role: Spectator
• Occupation: Land Surveyor

Saw no violent resistance of any sort whatsoever by the crowd at SPF. Saw many respectable-looking people amongst the crowd. ‘Heard no groaning, hisses, nor saw any brandishing of cudgels; he heard nothing of the sort.’

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James Stott, examined by Mr. Hunt—Resides at Pendleton, near Manchester, and is a land surveyor, and has some property there in houses and other things. Saw people going down the road to Manchester, but not marching. They were going promiscuously. Pendleton is on the great road to Lancaster; saw nothing in their conduct to cause any alarm in his mind; he got to St. Peter's field about one o'clock, or a little after. Has a family of six children; he left his wife at home, and three of his children, conceiving them to be in safety. About ten minutes before he (Mr. Hunt) came to the ground, the people were standing promiscuously, and great crowds of people usually sat and, consisting of men, women, and children. Saw nothing then either in their numbers or behaviour to excite any apprehensions. He stood upon the field waiting, ‘till he (Mr. Hunt) came on, and saw him arrive; he was saluted, as usual, with great cheer­ing; saw no number of persons with large staves about four or four and a half feet long; saw no such thing; he was situated in the front of the hust­ings, directly in front, and looking up towards the windmill, they may call it a street, but it has only houses on one side; he might be from 6 to 8 yards distant from the hustings at first, afterwards got to within a dozen or fifteen yards, but was not near enough, from the pressure of the crowd and the pain of his lungs obliging him to fall back, to hear distinctly what; he (Mr. Hunt) said; while standing on the field neither heard violent expressions or saw violent acts on the part of the people; there were a great many well-dressed persons besides himself, and decently dressed females; some were inhabitants of Manchester, and some were not heard none of them express apprehensions for their own safety or that of the town; saw the yeomanry arrive, and on their arrival they were cheered, as when Mr. Hunt came on the ground. Heard no groaning, hisses, nor saw any brandishing of cudgels; he heard nothing of the sort; if such a thing had taken place, he believes he should have noticed it; saw no acts of defiance; saw soldiers come, two men galloping up preceding them.

By the Court - Saw no resistance to the soldiers - nor any persons encourage them to resist them (the soldiers;) when the soldiers could not get forward they fell back, and two leading men fell back to the others; no advantage taken of the two leading men on being separated from their comrades; some few I heard expressed their fears on the arrival of the yeomanry, that they were going to attack the people; but that did not induce any of them to propose resistance; some of them began to move off the soldiers cheered, and the people cheered the soldiers, after the separation of the two from their companions; but whether that restored confi­dence can't tell, the business proceeded; and the running away discon­tinued; my opinion was that he soldiers came to keep the peace; soon after I saw them proceed towards the hustings; they galloped towards him as well as they could.

By the Court. —Did not see any arrest take place,

By Mr. Hunt—No resistance in their progress to the hustings by throwing brick bats or stones; saw no such thing; in their passage they cut at the people and the horses pranced, the people did nothing to resist, but went away as fast as the could.

Cross-examined by Sergeant Hullock—Never was at any meeting but that, and one which was at Liverpool: no person went with him; did not carry the Address to Mr. Cobbett; Johnson did not go with him; he went to see Mr. Cobbett and intended I dine with him, but did not invite him to Manchester; saw Johnson at Liverpool in November.

Mr. Hunt objected to this evidence, and Justice Bayley over-ruled it.

Re-examined—Never saw Mr. Cobbett before.

By the Court. —Never heard Johnson say any thing disrespectful to the Constitution of the Government.

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